Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria)
Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria) is a smoky, robust chicken stew simmered in a blend of guajillo, ancho, and árbol chiles with fire-roasted tomatoes and warm spices. Tender shredded chicken soaks up the vibrant broth, finished with fresh onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Serve it hot with crispy tortilla strips for a comforting meal on cool evenings or weekend gatherings.
- Prep30 mins
- Cook40 mins
- Serves6
- DifficultyMedium
- 1
Assemble all the ingredients.
- 2
Pour the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add the dried chiles. Cover and let stand until the chiles have softened, about 10 minutes.
- 3
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add 3 of the onion quarters, reserving the last quarter for later, along with the garlic. Cook, turning once, until charred, about 6 minutes.
- 4
Take the pot off the heat (do not wipe it out), and transfer the onion and garlic to a blender. Add the chicken broth, chiles, tomatoes, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, oregano, pepper, and cloves. Secure the blender lid, remove the center piece to let steam escape, and cover the opening with a clean towel. Blend until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- 5
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl.
- 6
Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the large pot and heat over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
- 7
Pour the blended chile mixture over the chicken and add the bay leaf. Cover and cook over medium-low until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
- 8
Meanwhile, chop the remaining onion quarter. Set aside.
- 9
Uncover the pot, discard the bay leaf, and remove the chicken from the chile mixture to shred it. Divide the shredded chicken evenly among 6 bowls, ladle the soup over the chicken, top with the reserved chopped onion, tortilla strips, if desired, and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
- Calories 313.31 kcal Moderate
- Protein 33.85 g Good Source
- Carbs 20.65 g Moderate
- Total Fat 11.84 g Moderate
- Saturated Fat 1.08 g Moderate
- Trans Fat 0.0 g Low Source
- Cholesterol 82.77 mg High
- Sodium 855.18 mg High
- Fiber 5.85 g Good Source
- Sugar 3.46 g Moderate
- Added Sugar 0.05 g Low Source
- Calcium 74.91 mg Low Source
- Iron 3.93 mg Good Source
- Potassium 369.11 mg Low Source
- Vitamin A 599.46 mcg_rae Good Source
- Vitamin C 22.71 mg Good Source
- Vitamin D 0.05 mcg Low Source
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Corn 🌽
- Tomatoes 🍅
- Garlic 🧄
- Onions 🧅
About This Recipe
Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria) is a Mexican dinner recipe made with 19 ingredients. It takes about 1 hr 10 mins, serves 6, and is rated medium. Key ingredients include Apple Cider Vinegar, Black Pepper, Canola Oil, and Chicken Breast. Each serving provides about 313.31 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria)?
- It is a Mexican recipe made with 19 ingredients, usually served for dinner or lunch or soup.
- What is Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria) made of?
- The main ingredients are Apple Cider Vinegar, Black Pepper, Canola Oil, Chicken Breast, Chicken Broth. The full list of 19 is above.
- What goes well with Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria)?
- Explore these Mexican side-dish recipes.
- How long does it take to make Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria)?
- About 1 hr 10 mins in total: 30 mins to prepare and 40 mins to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 313.31 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is Birria de Pollo (Chicken Birria) easy to make?
- This recipe is rated medium, with 19 ingredients and 9 steps.
How easyChef Pro Scores This Recipe
easyChef Pro gives every recipe a health score from 0 to 100, built from more than 30 nutritional parameters including nutrient density, energy density and glycemic impact. It calculates rather than estimates, so the same recipe returns the same score every time.
The number is traceable. You can see exactly which nutrient moved it, so a dish scoring 78 might show fiber pushing it up while sodium pulls it down, alongside the NOVA processing level of each ingredient.
Your health goal changes the calculation itself, not just a filter. easyChef Pro applies clinically derived weighting across six health dimensions, which is why the same dish can score well for one goal and poorly for another.
Swap an ingredient or change the serving size and that math changes with it. Scoring your own version is the only way to see what your kitchen actually produces.
Modified this recipe?
Changing ingredients or serving sizes changes the nutrition profile. Score your own version with easyChef Pro to see how it compares.